Bucket koozy with attached insulated lid

ABSTRACT

An absorbent, insulative sleeve with an attached absorbent insulated closing lid for a beverage bucket or pail that holds multiple beverages is disclosed. Particularly, the present device relates to a sleeve with an attached closing lid for a bucket, as might be served in a bar or restaurant, filled with ice or cold water for keeping beverages cold at a customer&#39;s table. The lid is moveable between a covered and uncovered position, and when in a covered position, prevents heat transfer to or from the enclosed multiple beverages. The lid may be closed using mechanisms such as Velcro, hook and loop, snap or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to beverage insulators, and inparticular to an absorbent, insulative sleeve with an attached absorbentinsulated closing lid for a bucket or pail that holds multiplebeverages. Particularly, the present device relates to a sleeve with anattached closing lid for a bucket, as might be served in a bar orrestaurant, filled with ice or cold water for keeping beverages cold ata customer's table.

2. Description of Related Prior Art

Absorbent, insulative sleeves for containers are used to thermallyinsulate beverages, including such an insulative sleeve for a bucket (orpail) as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 20120217255A1. Although thisprior art provides insulation for a beverage bucket or pail, it lacksthe ability to completely insulate the beverage bucket or pail becausethere is an exposed top portion which causes ice to melt very quicklycausing the beverages to lose their ideal cold temperature.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventor, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior an at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

SUMMARY

Restaurants and bars serve multiple bottled or canned drinks includingbeer, wine coolers, soda and other beverages in ice-filled buckets. Thetype of bucket to which the invention relates is a frusto-conical,metal, galvanized steel or plastic bucket or pail with or without ahandle used for carrying fluids or fluid containers in most cases.

The prior art insulative sleeve for a bucket or pail has an exposed topportion which causes ice to melt very quickly causing the beverages tolose their ideal cold temperature, particularly outdoors in humidclimates.

The present invention addresses and solves this problem and providesimprovements in the areas of thermal insulation which have practicalbenefits and cost benefits. The lid is moveable between a covered anduncovered position, and when in a covered position, prevents heattransfer to or from the enclosed multiple beverages. It would thereforebe advantageous to provide an absorbent, insulative sleeve for abeverage bucket or pail that holds multiple beverages with an attachedabsorbent, insulative closing lid. In various embodiments, the attachedlid may be printed for advertisements, games, décor, or other suchpurposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description set forth below references the followingdrawings:

FIG. 1 is a typical metal or galvanized steel bucket or pail;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the insulative sleeve with base andlid including the location of the lid closure in the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a template showing the embodiment including the location ofthe lid closure in the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention showing thepreferred dimensions of embodiments including the attached lid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described indetail, preferred embodiments of the invention, including embodiments ofthe various components of the invention, with the understanding that thepresent disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of theprinciples of the invention and is not intended to limit the broadaspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there are illustrated embodiments of anabsorbent, insulative sleeve with an attached absorbent insulativeclosing lid for a bucket or pail that holds multiple beverages. Thepresent invention is primarily for use with metal, galvanized steel, orplastic buckets or pails typically used in restaurants and bars to servemultiple bottles or cans of a cold beverage.

FIG. 1 is a typical metal or galvanized steel bucket utilized to servemultiple cold beverages. FIG. 2 illustrates an improved insulativesleeve with an attached absorbent insulated closing lid for a bucket orpail that holds multiple beverages. The sleeve, base and lid comprise asidewall which is preferably made of a flexible foam or insulativematerial having a thickness in the range of from about 0.05 inch to 1.00inch. The flexible foam is preferably somewhat absorbent. In order tofit tightly about a bucket or pail, the sidewall has a substantiallyfrustoconical shape, tapering from top to bottom. In the illustratedembodiment, a circular base is attached to the bottom edge of thesidewalls, the lid is attached to the top of side B and the lid closuremechanism is attached to the top of side A. The base and the lid may bemade from the same material as the sidewall, thicker or thinner, or adifferent material, e.g. a more absorbent or more durable material. FIG.3 is a template showing the embodiment which also shows the location ofthe lid attached to the top of side B and the lid closure mechanismillustrated as a Velcro patch sewn near the top of the side A, which canenclose the insulative sleeve into tight conformity with the lid.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sidewall of a most preferred embodiment has aheight of about 7½ inches, and the attached lid has a width of about 9⅜inches. Preferred embodiments have a sidewall height in the range offrom 5.0 inches to 10.0 inches, and a lid width in the range of 8.0inches to 11.0 inches. FIG. 4 show's the dimensions for the mostpreferred embodiment having a bottom diameter of about 7⅜ inches.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent invention, particularly, any “preferred” embodiment, arepossible examples of implementations merely set forth for a clearunderstanding of the principles for the invention. Many variations andmodifications may be made to the above-described embodiments of theinvention without substantially departing from the spirit and principlesof the invention. All such modifications are intended to be includedherein within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention,and protected by the following claims.

The matter set forth in the foregoing descriptions and accompanyingdrawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation.While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the broader aspects of applicant'scontribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended tobe defined in the following claims when viewed in their properperspective based on the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. An insulative device with an attached insulativeclosing lid for a bucket or pail that holds one or multiple beveragescomprising: sidewall with attached circular lid comprised of a loammaterial having a thickness in the range from 0.06 inches to 1.00inches, the sidewall having a substantially frustoconical shape; and acircular base attached to the bottom edge of the sidewall.
 2. Theinsulative device of claim 1, wherein the sidewall has a height in therange from 5.0 inches to 10.0 inches, and the attached lid has a widthin the range of 8.0 inches to 11.0 inches.
 3. The insulative device ofclaim 1, further comprising a closing mechanism for holding the lidclosed.
 4. The insulative device of claim 3, wherein the closingmechanism is Velcro.
 5. The insulative device of claim 3, wherein theclosing mechanism is hook and loop material.
 6. The insulative device ofclaim 3, wherein the closing mechanism is a snap.
 7. An insulativedevice with an attached insulative closing lid for a bucket or pail thatholds multiple beverages with the lid movable between a closed orcovered position in which it covers all of the multiple beverages and anopen or uncovered position, allowing access to remove beverages.